Regulation of transport bill gets support, bar the EFF

What I am doing through the National Land Transport Amendment Bill is to regulate…

Fikile Mbalula

TRANSPORT MINISTER

TRANSPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula has said that the regulation of e-hailing services, including Uber, would be able to fix the industry.

This was after Mbalula announced yesterday the tabling of the National Land Transport Amendment Bill.

The bill makes a number of changes, including the regulation of Uber, Bolt, Taxify and other e-hailing services.

The metered taxi drivers previously complained about e-hailing services, leading to violence in the industry with some of the drivers being killed.

Mbalula said yesterday there was no need for violence.

The bill would be able to, among other things, prevent officers from being involved in the sector as operators as this was a conflict of interest.

Mbalula said he had met all the stakeholders on the regulation of e-hailing services.

“What I am doing through this law is to regulate,” said Mbalula.

He said the taxi drivers and e-hailing were all on board on the regulation.

Political parties in Parliament said they supported the bill.

ANC MP Bafuze Sicelo Yabo said they fully supported the bill as it would benefit many people who relied on public transport, adding many industries depended on an efficient public transport system.

He said the regulation of e-hailing services would ensure there was participation of South Africans and safety of passengers using the services.

There have been reports in the past of allegations of sexual assault against Uber drivers.

Chris Hunsinger of the DA said they also supported the bill.

He, however, said that while many agreed that the taxi industry was in need of major reform, this was not addressed in the bill. However, the EFF rejected it. EFF‘s Makosini Chabangu said that they opposed the bill, adding that what the state needed to do was to expropriate land without compensation and build a reliable transport system close to centres of work.

He said since the bill was published in 2018, many Uber (operators) related the same stories that they were overworked.

IFP MP Petros Sithole said his party was behind the bill, saying the change was needed to regulate the industry.

It comes at a time when there had been complaints of sexual violence levelled against some Uber drivers.

He said the regulation would help address some of these issues as women had been victims of sexual violence when using the service.